The Owerri Zone of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has urged the federal government to refrain from using the proposed tax reform as a cover to dismantle the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).
Professor Dennis Aribodor, the zone’s coordinator, speaking at a briefing in Awka, emphasized that TETFUND has played a crucial role in improving infrastructure in public tertiary institutions across the country.
ASUU Owerri Zone includes universities such as Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Igbariam, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State University Owerri, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Aribodor noted that ASUU Owerri Zone is mobilizing stakeholders to take a patriotic stand in safeguarding public tertiary education in Nigeria by opposing the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, particularly any provisions that may lead to the dissolution of TETFUND.
He reflected on the challenges of the 1980s, when Nigerian universities suffered from a lack of funding due to economic hardship and the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP), which led to reduced government spending on education.
During this period, ASUU played a critical role in advocating for improved funding and better conditions for lecturers.
ASUU was instrumental in the creation of the Education Tax Fund (ETF), now known as TETFUND. Established through the Education Tax Act No.7 of 1993, the fund levied a 2% tax on the assessable profits of all Nigerian companies to support education.
Aribodor noted that several African countries have recently studied TETFUND, and Nigeria should focus on enhancing its operations, not dismantling it.
He stressed that ASUU Owerri Zone will not passively watch as TETFUND, a product of years of constructive engagement with successive Nigerian governments, is undermined.
“Abolishing the TETFUND Act of 2011, whether intentional or accidental, would be a grave disservice to both education and the nation,” Aribodor warned.
ASUU Owerri Zone has called on all stakeholders in Nigerian education, particularly members of the National Assembly, including the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, to take necessary action to protect TETFUND from any threat posed by the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 and preserve the future of public tertiary education.
Aribodor also highlighted TETFUND as a homegrown solution that has helped restore the lost prestige and confidence in Nigeria’s education system.
